At a hastily called press conference Monday afternoon, City Council President Keith King and Board of County Commissioners Chair Dennis Hisey voiced their displeasure with Mayor Steve Bach and with the City for Champions proposal, which could be endangered as a result. The two officials presented letters addressed to Mayor Bach, which he had yet… Continue Reading Leaders’ C4C divide grows

Sometimes it’s smart to watch a City Council meeting on TV until the very end, even after most of the spectators have left. Such was the case Monday afternoon at the close of Council’s usual informal meeting, now known as “work sessions” before the regular formal gathering on Tuesday. The group had spent nearly four… Continue Reading One example of cooperation: Why not more?

As this version of the Colorado Springs City Council approaches its one-year anniversary, it may be time for a quick performance assessment. It should be simple enough. At the mischievous suggestion of a prominent local businessman, we’ll use metrics generally accepted in the corporate world — those that the Council majority cited as they quizzed… Continue Reading Council – time for an early ROI assessment

You can say one thing for City Council president Keith King: he can sure write a memo! At this week’s Council “Retreat” King presented a five-page action memo, laying out the course that he believes Council should follow as it turns its baleful eye upon the City for Champions proposal. For connoisseurs of this neglected… Continue Reading King unloads gargantuan plan for Council to evaluate C4C

State Rep. Bob Gardner, himself a veteran of many political wars, doesn’t mind sharing his view of the battle going on now inside the Colorado Springs city government. “The mayor has fought with two successive Councils,” Gardner said of Steve Bach, “so the responsibility for fighting is the mayor’s.” The four-term state legislator was an… Continue Reading Regardless of blame, city needs peace treaty now

As Colorado Springs watches, county’s first retail shops could open by April. On Jan. 21, the Manitou Springs City Council voted on a second reading of an ordinance to allow two retail marijuana stores to operate within a narrowly defined commercial area of the city. Since the Council passed the ordinance on first presentation by… Continue Reading Manitou set to own pot market

Thanks to a CORA request filed by Colorado Springs media, the city has released all emails to, from, or regarding George Culpepper, the recently hired and abruptly terminated Council legislative assistant. Most of them are routine workplace communications (e.g., “George, your IPhone and IPad are ready for you to pick up.”), but some may give… Continue Reading Emails shed light on dismissed Council employee

It’s hard to resist having fun at the expense of Keith King and City Council. That said, here’s the latest product of Council president King’s fertile mind: a “Marketing Plan” for City Council, apparently combined with a decision timeline for 2014. In writing it, King was clearly affected by the blowback from the latest adventures… Continue Reading ‘Council’s Your Neighbor’ to be City Council motto

Item 18 of Tuesday’s City Council agenda seemed routine. “An ordinance amending Ordinance No. 12-108 (2013 Appropriation Ordinance) for $2,000,000 and the Grants Fund in the amount of $10,000,000 for the response and repairs required after the September 2013 flooding. (Finance – Kara Skinner).” Skinner, the city’s chief finance officer, gave a crisp summary. Explaining… Continue Reading Council ventures into realm of dysfunction